Eduardo Junkera (Durango, 1955), founder of Egile and former president of the Gipuzkoan employers' association Adegi, participated last week in a conference organized in Bilbao by APD (Association for the Progress of Management), as president of the organization's Northern Zone. Junkera stated that APD's roles are different from those of business representation, which often faces tensions with worker representation. "APD is much more aseptic to that tension. APD has the mission of keeping managers trained and informed. It is more neutral", he explained.
Regarding competitiveness, Junkera stressed that we compete in a global scenario and that one of the main challenges for Basque companies is their size. "Around 95% of our companies are SMEs. Size is very important for competing and has always been identified as a weakness", he affirmed. He advocated for growth, collaboration between companies, and investment.
Internationalization and digitalization, as well as the advances of artificial intelligence, are also crucial challenges. Junkera pointed out that it is very difficult for small companies to face these issues, which require greater knowledge and access to technology, which in turn depends on people's talent.
Demographics and the lack of talent also cause concern. An aging society leads to a shortage of personnel, and to this is added a significant level of absenteeism and conflict. Furthermore, many young people are attracted to public service, to the detriment of entrepreneurship.
Although the general situation in Euskadi is good, Junkera warned that its important industrial base is threatened. "Our competitiveness, today, is still based on the fact that we are relatively cheaper than other countries. And competing partly on price is not desirable. What is desirable is that we can compete by having technology, by having high-value services and products", he stated.
Junkera highlighted that fostering a culture of participation and transparency in companies increases awareness. However, he mentioned that conflict and absenteeism are higher in Euskadi than in other parts of Spain, and that, compared to latitudes like Asia, "there is much work to be done".
He emphasized the importance of investments and talent for the future. "A company that is not competent or competitive, or both, has no future no matter how indigenous its capital is. On the other hand, if it is competent and competitive, it has the keys to have a future. And that is provided by people, people's talent", he affirmed.
Finally, he advocated for constant innovation and for focusing on generating knowledge, technology, and science. To achieve this, it is essential to raise the level of people's knowledge, education, and universities, so that future professionals can drive companies' innovation capacity.
